Somewhere I Belong
by Annaelle
Summary: What if Bella had never lost touch with her friends and family in Forks? What if she and Jacob had been best friends all along? J/B story. ONESHOT for now, but could be continued.
1. Chapter 1 - I'm Coming Home

**Hi everyone. **

**I have been a Jacob/Bella fan for a very long time, but I never really read their fanfiction before, nor did I write for them, but once I started reading, plot bunnies started hopping around in my head, and I had to write this down. **

**I don't have a Beta for this just yet-please, feel free to volunteer-so I apologize for any and all mistakes. I'd like to point out that Bella is slightly different in this story, as I imagine she would have been had she not lost touch with her family and friends in Forks. She is, therefore, a little less socially awkward, and more sure of herself. **

**She and Jake are very close friends, as they never lost touch, and their relationship continued to develop since their childhood. **

**And the rest... Well, I'm not too sure about continuing this just yet. I have a few ideas, involving Bad!Edward or even Bad!Cullens, imprinting and a whole lot more angst than I usually write, but I also have opposite kinds of ideas, which involve Bella being involved with Jake from the very start, since BEFORE she met Edward, and therefore altering the entirety of Twilight's original storyline. **

**This is, most definitely, AU. **

**Also, mildly M, strong T scene in the flashback, in Jacob's POV. **

**Please, leave a review, tell me what you think, if I should continue or not :) **

**Love, Annaelle**

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**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Twilight franchise, I just like to take out the characters and play with them. I do not own anything but an overactive imagination and this storyline.**

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**SOMEWHERE I BELONG**

**Chapter One—I'm Coming Home**

_I'm coming home  
Tell the world that I'm coming home_

_Let the rain  
Wash away  
All the pain of yesterday_

_I know my kingdom awaits  
And they've forgiven my mistakes_

_I'm coming home  
I'm coming home_

_Tell the world I'm coming_

_—Coming Home, Skylar Grey_

**BPOV  
PRESENT TIME—SEATTLE AIRPORT**

My leg bounced up and down as I waited impatiently for the baggage carrousel to start turning so I could pick up my bags and get the hell out of this airport. I wasn't exactly _thrilled_ to move to Forks, but I did look forward to seeing some of my old friends again.

I hadn't seen any of them—unfortunately including my dad and my _best_ friend (and maybe kind-of boyfriend)—in over a year and a half. I'd hated to not see them for so long, but it had been inevitable—my dad had to work the entire time and Jacob couldn't afford plane tickets to fly out to meet me, and I hadn't been able to afford one to meet him either.

We'd talked over the phone often enough, but it wasn't the same.

I'd missed them all.

Especially Jake.

We'd been best friends since we were both kids, but the last time I had been in Forks something between us had shifted… Our relationship had… Evolved. Jake had asked me to be his date for a dance his school was throwing—not that that in itself was so unusual, we always went as the others date to important stuff like that—and the date had turned a little more… Real date-like than either of us had anticipated.

Not that I didn't love Jacob—I did and I always would, and I was pretty sure he felt the same way—, but it had been unexpected and a little painful.

Two years ago when I spent the summer in Forks, Jake and I had shared a few kisses—it happened accidently, I swore—before we decided that we wouldn't risk our friendship by trying to date long-distance.

I didn't want to risk losing him if it didn't work out.

He felt the same.

And we'd both been content enough with it, until last year, when the dance was over and Jake drove us home, then impulsively kissed me on the front porch—and though there was a part of me that demanded I stop him before things went too far, I hadn't, and Jake had ended up spending the night.

In my bed.

With _far_ less clothing (and sleep) than our usual sleepovers.

.

.

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**_JPOV  
A YEAR AND A HALF AGO—SWAN RESIDENCE, FORKS_**

_Bella giggled as we stumbled into her house, both grinning like the stupid love struck teenagers we were—I knew I was; at fifteen, I was completely and utterly certain that Bella Swan was the love of my life and that I'd never want anyone else._

_Her lips were soft and addictive, and I couldn't stop pressing small kisses to them—I pulled away to breathe, but she wouldn't let me move away. Her arms were still wrapped around me tightly, and I couldn't find it in myself to complain about that. "Bells," I breathed, resting my hands on her hips gently, kind of nervous, because this wasn't supposed to happen—we were not going to go there, because it was dangerous, I didn't want to risk losing her—, "Are you sure you want this?"_

_I backtracked when I saw the slightly hurt look on her face, "I mean, I want to, I _really_ do, but I don't if you're not ready." _

_She shook her head and leaned up, pressing her lips to mine, resting our foreheads together. _

_I sighed contently, melting into her kiss after a moment of hesitation, treading my fingers through her lusciously curled hair, before allowing her to break the kiss to breathe. Bella blushed prettily and breathed in deeply, looking up at me from beneath her lashes. _

_Damn her, that looks does things to me. _

_"I want this too, Jake," she whispered softly, stroking my cheek, "I love you. I always have." _

_I slid my hands down her sides, rubbing the soft silk of her dress between my fingers as I asked, "Are you really sure? I don't want to pressure you or something." My heart was beating so hard and fast and loudly, I was almost sure she could hear it, if she'd lean close enough—she tilted her head, brushing her lips over mine just a tiny little bit (just enough to drive me absolutely insane with desire; I'm a hormonal teenage boy, I am not always in charge of my hormones, especially not where Bells is concerned). _

_"Of course I am," she smiled, curling her fingers in the fabric of my jacket, "I always wanted it to be you, Jake. Kiss me again." _

_I happily obliged—I'm a hormonal teen who's super in love with this girl, so sue me—and kissed her deeply, fully, gently tugging on the tiny buttons on the back of her dress, loosening as many as I could with one hand, while burying the other in her curly hair as she hopped up, wrapping her legs around my waist. _

_I stumbled towards the stairs, trying to get us to her bedroom—I really didn't want our first time to be on Charlie's shabby old couch—but Bella's tongue is in my mouth and _holy fucking shit_. _

_I could barely remember my own name, much less the lay-out of Bella's house. _

_"Bella," I moaned against her lips, sighing victoriously when we made it into the bedroom and I managed to undo all the little buttons on her dress, pushing it off her shoulders slowly—very hesitantly, because I'd never seen her this undressed before (I'd never seen _any_ girl this undressed before)—revealing the deep purple bra and panties she was wearing. _

_She was absolutely breathtaking, and when I tried to tell her—albeit stuttering and blushing—she grumbled and told me to do less talking and more kissing. I slid my fingers over her warm, soft skin, smiling briefly at her cheeky comment before taking her hand in mine and leading her to the bed. _

_We were both absolutely still for a split second, and then her lips were on mine again, and I'm lifting her, carrying her the last few feet to the bed, where I let her fall back onto the soft mattress, my hands instantly reaching for the front clasp of her bra, fumbling slightly, because my fingers were shaking with want and desire and nervousness. _

_Eventually, I broke the kiss, leaving us both panting and desperate for air, yet still wanting more—my hands are shaking as I finally manage to won my battle with the front clasp of her bra, and I was fumbling like an incompetent idiot, but I managed and then the bra slipped and she was bare before me—and _holy shit_, she's beautiful. _

_"You are so beautiful," I breathed, completely in awe of the gorgeous girl laying before him—I'd loved Bella since we were children and I couldn't believe this was happening. "Jacob," Bella whined softly, tugging on his shirt and snapping him from his haze. "Take off your clothes, mister," she ordered, and he couldn't help but chuckle at her bossiness. _

_"Whatever you want, Bells," I grinned, sitting back on my haunches to pull my shirt over my head—I lost my jacket somewhere on the stairs already, though I wasn't sure where or when—, feeling a slight burst of purely male pride when he caught Bella eyeing my chest appreciatively. _

_"Jacob," she moved a little, leaning up just far enough to pull my lips back down to hers—and then I was simply gone. _

_I stopped thinking and just _did_, moving her back against the bed, relishing in the feel of her body against mine—skin to skin, our mouths permanently fused together. I was hard, ready, pushing against her thigh, her fingernails digging into my back, and all I could think about was that it wasn't enough, and that I needed _more_ of her. _

_I wouldn't ever be able to get enough of her. _

_"Please," she breathed against my lips, "Jacob, please." Neither one of us said anything particularly coherent after that—I was sure I didn't even think anything coherent as the remainder of our clothes got tossed and we melted together in every way possible, and all that registered with me was the faint noises that fell from her lips, the soft cries and moans of pleasure every time I did something right and all I could do to tell her how much I loved her was groan and move faster and there was nothing but her and me. _

_Our hands were clasped together so tightly, my knuckles were whitening and I _couldn't_ breathe, I couldn't think… _

_All I could see, hear, smell and feel was Bella. _

_And then she was crying out, panting my name in my ear, tightening impossibly around me—and then I was gone too. _

_The waves of pleasure that washed over me were so good, so intense, I felt like I was drowning in them, and I barely noticed that I had collapsed on top of her. I wrapped myself around her to keep myself at least a little bit grounded before I could be completely washed away by pleasure. _

_Her body relaxes beneath mine, her arms wrapping loosely around my back and her fingers trailing up and down my back gently—it would've send shivers down my spine, but I was so spent and sated, I could barely keep my eyes open. I loved how she breathed in soft little puffs, how her muscles were still contracting and how she was pressing her lips to my temple. _

_I wasn't too sure about other people's first times, but I was pretty damn sure it wasn't like this, and I was really damn sure that I was lucky to have a girl like Bella to share it with—my best friend and the love of my life. _

_I might've been young, but… I could love this woman forever._

_"Oh my God," she panted, her fingers tangling in my hair, "That was…" She stopped and exhaled in frustration, and I chuckled a little, moving so I could lean up on my elbows, staring down at her. "I know," I whispered, leaning down to press a soft, gentle kiss to her lips, "me too." _

_When I moved to lie down next to her, she whined and tightened her arms and legs around me, so I couldn't move away, even if I'd wanted to. "Don't move," she pleaded, "I like you right where you are." I complied and rested my head against her chest again, soothed by the sound of her heart thudding steadily in her chest, beneath my ear. _

_I wondered, for a brief moment, what this would mean for us. _

_I knew she'd be going back to Arizona in two days, and I wasn't sure how either of us would handle the separation this time. _

_"I love you, Bells," I breathed, my eyes closing despite my best attempts to stay awake longer, to bask in the afterglow for a little bit longer. I didn't really register her fingers running through my hair, nor her soft, blissful smile, or her whispered, "I love you too, Jake. Always."_

.

.

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**BPOV  
PRESENT TIME—SEATTLE AIRPORT**

Thinking back on it, I thanked my lucky stars that Charlie had been working a night shift at the station so he hadn't heard or caught us.

I was well aware that sleeping with my best friend—for who I may have far-from-just-best-friends-kind-of-feelings—the night before I would return to Arizona was not a very good or smart idea, but I wanted to _not_ be smart for once.

I wanted to be with Jacob and only Jacob, and I would never regret sharing my first—and only—sexual experience with him. I knew he felt the same, and that had made not seeing him for a year and a half afterwards even harder.

We hadn't spoken of what had happened between us.

He'd kissed me goodbye when I left, but when we talked on the phone in the past year, neither of us had brought it up—I was a little afraid to, and I suspected Jake was too.

It would make for an interesting—possibly awkward—reunion.

"Finally," I exclaimed when the carrousel whirred to life and my tattered red bag came into view. I snatched it up and hurried towards the exit—thankfully without tripping over my own feet—before the other five million people in the room could decide that they wanted out too. While I was walking, I dug my brand new iPhone (my mom's idea of a goodbye present) out of my pocket and fumbled with it for a minute before I managed to text my dad that I was almost in the arrivals hall.

I was pretty sure he'd be outside, waiting with the cruiser in the parking lot, like every other year.

He was pretty surprised I had decided to finish my junior and senior year in Forks—my mom too—but I had thought about this a lot. I missed my friends in Forks, I missed Jacob and I missed my dad, and I figured seeing them for two months once a year was not enough anymore.

I kind of missed living in a small town too.

I was a little apprehensive about living with my dad, but I figured it would be fine—after all, we'd managed during the summer months before—after a few weeks of adjustment.

I frowned a little when my dad didn't respond to my text, unsure of where I was supposed to wait for him—it wasn't like the airport in Seattle was _that_ big, but it was bigger than Port Angeles, where I'd usually fly to, where he'd always picked me up. Unfortunately, there was a storm brooding over Port Angeles, and all flights in that direction had been cancelled—I'd considered waiting to fly up until the storm had cleared, but dad had ensured me that he didn't mind driving a few hours to pick me up in Seattle instead.

I sighed and shoved my phone back in my pocket, running my fingers through my hair distractedly as I concentrated on not tripping over my own two feet. The arrival hall wasn't that large, and I pouted a little bit when I didn't see my dad immediately, reaching for my phone again to call him when a loud, enthusiastic and completely unexpected voice called out my name.

"Bells!"

I froze, eyes wide, as I tried to process what hearing his voice meant.

Surely he wouldn't be _here_?

Slowly, I turned around, unable to stop the _huge_ grin from spreading across my face as I spotted Jacob—_my Jake_—waving at me like an idiot. He looked _so_ good—he was taller, and God, my memories did _not_ do him justice.

Jacob was really, really hot.

Not that I hadn't always thought he was handsome, but _hell_…

Jacob had really grown up in the year and a half that we had been apart.

"Jacob!" I was absolutely horrified by the screech that fell from my lips, but it didn't seem to bother Jake too much—he hopped over the barriers and ran towards me, sweeping me up in his arms for one of those warm bear hugs that I had missed _so_ much.

My entire body relaxed into his embrace, my arms winding around his neck as he held me tight. "Jake," I sighed happily into his warm skin, my fingers curling into the soft hair at the back of his neck, "I missed you." It was true—I _had_ missed Jake. He was my best friend, and much as I liked Arizona, it didn't hold a candle to Forks, simply because I didn't have my best friend (and maybe-kinda-sorta-boyfriend) there.

"I missed you too, Bells," he whispered back, his arms tightening around me.

I had no idea how long we stood there, wrapped around each other in the middle of the airport—I'm sure people were staring, but I honestly couldn't bring myself to care—, but when we did finally break apart, I took my time to appraise the boy (_man_) standing before me.

"You're _huge_," I exclaimed, "When the hell did you get so big, Jake?"

He grinned boyishly and rubbed the back of his neck, a soft blush staining his russet skin. "It's not a big deal, Bells," he mumbles, "I guess I just got hit by a grow spurt."

"Not a big deal?" I raised an eyebrow at him and grinned, "You're at least a foot taller than me now, Jake. That is a pretty big deal if you ever want to kiss me again—you'll get back problems having to bend over the whole time."

My words seemed to hit him at the same time they hit me, and I blushed furiously, averting my eyes from Jake's all-too-smug smirk, deciding that studying the tips of Jake's shoes was a far more interesting and safer enterprise than looking at his face.

Clearly, looking at his face made my brain-to-mouth filter malfunction.

"Hey Bells?"

I hummed softly, not taking my eyes off the tips of his boots, not quite ready to face him again after putting my foot in my mouth—_jeez_, we hadn't talked about that night since it happened, _probably_ for a reason, _why_, why would I bring it up now? I heard Jacob chuckle and jumped when his fingers suddenly touched my jaw, gently forcing me to look up at him. His eyes were beautiful and dark and sparkling with mirth.

"Bells," he whispered softly—and _no_, my heart did _not_ skip a beat, thank you very much—his fingertips leaving a burning trail on my cheek, "I don't mind back problems if it means I get to kiss you again."

My breath hitched and I shifted closer to him—honestly, I'd been referring to him as my kind-of-sort-of boyfriend since long before we slept together and I knew that our only excuse for not _trying_ had disappeared when I decided to move back to Forks—, curling my fingers in the front of his shirt.

"Oh," I breathed—_yes_, I got an A in every single English paper because I was so damn eloquent when it came to important things—, swallowing thickly.

"Yeah," Jake grinned, "_Oh_." He glanced down, and I swear to God I could feel my lips tingle under his intense gaze, before abruptly returning his eyes to mine. "We should go, Bells. I do not want to have this conversation in the airport of all places."

I wanted to protest—hell, I didn't want to talk at all, I just wanted him to shut up and kiss me again—but then I remembered what I had been wondering earlier and blurted, "Yeah, hey, speaking off… Where's my dad? I thought he was picking me up." Jake grinned cheekily at me—that grin did things to me, I was tingling all over—and shrugged.

"He was called in. There was a huge pile up in town and he needed to be there, so he asked me to come pick you up." He tapped my nose playfully and added, "We didn't think you'd mind."

I couldn't stop the smile from spreading on my lips—Jake's smile usually did that to me—and nodded. "I don't mind," I smiled, allowing Jake to take my bag from me as he reached for my hand with his free one.

I was well aware that we'd have a lot to talk about on the drive back to Forks—like the fact that we had slept together a year and a half ago and I left two days later and we never spoke of it again—and that maybe holding hands and flirting and nearly kissing my best friend was not the smartest thing to do, but I just… I didn't want to stop.

Being with Jacob had always been as easy as breathing.

When I actually managed to shut my overly active brain off for two minutes, Jake and I _always_ had fun, and we were _never_ awkward.

Not even when our dads would gang up on us and show us baby pictures or regale everyone who was listening with tales of our antics as children—for one, Jake and I had decided, at the age of five and six, that we would get married, so that I could stay in Forks with him and dad.

I remembered that day.

It was a bittersweet memory—I loved remembering how pure and sweet my love for Jake had been then, but it also hurt to remember that when I told my mom I wanted to stay, that I was going to marry Jacob so it would be okay for me to stay, she laughed at me and told me that I would get over it, that there would be more boys in Arizona who could be my new Jacob.

Of course there never was a new Jacob—there had only ever been _my_ Jacob.

I sighed and shook my head, tugging Jake's arm around my shoulder and snuggling into his side as we walked out of the airport.

I grinned when Jake tossed my bag onto the backseat of his orange Chevy truck—I _loved _that truck, had since the first time I saw it back when Billy bought it when Jake and I were kids—as I leaned against the driver's seat door.

Jacob slammed the door and turned towards me, mirroring my position as he leaned against it.

"So…" He drawled, reaching out to take one of my hands in his—_huge_—hands. "Should we… Talk when we get home? Or now? When we're driving? I don't know, I just—" He shuffled a little, his eyes looking everywhere but mine, and I knew I shouldn't think that he was adorable when he was nervous and trying to ask me if I still felt more than friendship for him, but he _really_ was cute.

"Jake," I smiled a little and took a small step forward, tiptoeing to press a kiss to his cheek, "My feelings haven't changed at all. You know I love you."

His answering smile was bright and beautiful and _so_ inherently _Jake_, and my breath hitched when he tilted his head closer, our faces now so close together that our noses brush against each other and our breaths mingled. "I'm going to kiss you now," he breathed, his fingers brushing over the skin on the nape of my neck, curling into my messy hair, "if you're okay with that."

I had some trouble thinking for a moment, because he was _so_ close and he was warm and he smelled _really_ good, and why were we still _talking_?

"Yeah," I managed to choke in response, "Yeah, I'm _really_ okay with that."

I couldn't tell which one of us moved first. My fingers curled in his shirt, pulling him closer as he pulled me up, our lips meeting in the middle, both of us holding our breaths as our lips finally, _finally_, after a far-too-long separation, meet.

I sighed involuntarily, my lips parting beneath his warm, soft lips, willingly allowing him to pull me up and closer—I was pretty sure my feet were dangling above the ground, so I wrapped my legs around his waist, smiling into the kiss when he groans—and to deepen the kiss. I couldn't help but marvel over the the feeling of his fingers sliding over my scalp, leaving tingles in their wake, as he twined his fingers in my hair, my knees feeling _very_ weak all of a sudden.

If Jake hadn't been holding me, I was sure I would have fallen over.

I'd forgotten how incredibly soft his lips were, and I shivered as his tongue slid out to caress mine—he tasted absolutely _delicious_, and I forgot how to breathe for a moment or two.

Unfortunately, the need for air became too pressing, too urgent, too soon, and I couldn't help but whine under my breath when he broke the kiss. My head is spinning and my lips are tingling deliciously where his were still brushing against mine. "Shit Bella," he swore softly, and I swore I'd never heard him—or anyone—say my name like that before.

Like I was the most precious creature he had ever encountered.

He sounded thoroughly awed—and I had to say, the feeling was more than mutual.

I couldn't believe how good kissing Jake had felt—my memories of the night we had spent together before I'd left again had _not_ done him any justice. If he could make me feel like this with just a kiss, I couldn't wait to see what he'd manage when we had some more… _alone_ time.

My eyes fluttered open slowly, lazily, and I tightened my grip on him, so he couldn't leave—so he couldn't set me down on her own two feet just yet.

I didn't want this moment to end.

Even if we somehow wouldn't end up together—and that seemed completely impossible at that moment—I would _never_ be able to forget how completely _perfect_ that kiss was. Jacob slid his fingers down from where they were tangled in my wavy locks, over my cheek, his thumb lingering on my—kiss-swollen—bottom lip. "We should stop," he whispered, "Before we… I mean… We have a long drive ahead of us and—"

My eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment, resting my forehead against his as I nodded slowly.

"Yeah," I breathed, "I know. I know." Reluctantly, I loosened my grip on his shirt and unwound my legs from around his waist, pouting a little at how shaky my legs were.

Jacob noticed—_of course_ he did—and gave me a smug kind of grin that made me want to slap—or kiss—it off his face. "Let's go home, Bells," he grinned, leaning in to press one more chaste kiss against my lips.

"Home sounds good," I sighed happily, crawling into the truck and buckling myself in.

Yes.

Home—Forks—sounded really good.


	2. Chapter 2 - Roads Untraveled

**Hi everyone. **

**Here's the second chapter to this little thing. I'm not too sure where this is going yet, but I will promise you guys that there will be no Bella/Edward in this story. It is Jacob/Bella all the way. **

**I usually don't write in first person POV, so that makes this a bit of a challenge for me, but I think I managed well enough. Some of the passages in this chapters are direct quotes from the book, mostly discriptions of the Cullens. **

**Sorry for the limited Jacob/Bella interaction in this chapter. **

**Please, leave a review, tell me what you think, if I should continue or not :)**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Love, Annaelle**

**PS Thank you to all of you for your reviews, favorites, follows and kudos on the last chapter. **

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**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Twilight franchise, I just like to take out the characters and play with them. I do not own anything but an overactive imagination and this storyline.**

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**SOMEWHERE I BELONG**

**Chapter Two—Roads Untraveled **

_Weep not for roads untraveled  
Weep not for paths left alone_

_'Cause beyond every bend  
Is a long blinding end_

_It's the worst kind of pain  
I've known_

_Give up your heart left broken  
And let that mistake pass on_

_'Cause the love that you lost__  
__Wasn't worth what it cost_

_And in time you'll be glad it's gone_

_—Roads Untraveled, Linkin Park_

**BPOV  
PRESENT TIME (A MONTH LATER)—FORKS' HIGHSCHOOL**

I sighed despondently as I eyed the high school. Jake chuckled, seeing my undoubtedly very not excited face as I clambered off of his bike—I'd enjoyed the last month of summer vacation with Jacob and my dad and a few of Jacob's friends (who fast became my friends) on the reservation.

It hadn't taken me very long to settle back into my life in Forks, and knowing that I wasn't leaving in a month felt really, really good.

I'd been a little reluctant to tell my dad and Jake's dad—who just happened to be my dads best friend—about mine and Jake's ever changing and evolving relationship at first, but when I did finally manage to pluck up the courage to tell them, they just laughed at us and told us they already knew.

It seemed that the whole town knew Jake and I were dating before we made it official and public.

"You ready, Bells?"

Jacob snapped me from my thoughts as he got off the bike too, touching my cheek gently. I shook my head and sighed dramatically. "I do not want to go to school and listen to rumors about the Chief's little girl dating the big bad indian from the res—though they all conveniently seem to forget that they've all hung out on First Beach too, and they all know that you and me have practically been together since we were kids, and—"

Jacob pressed his lips to mine, effectively silencing my ranting—maybe I was overreacting a little, I hadn't actually been to school here yet, so I had no idea whether or not there would be a lot of gossip. I did not, however, complain at his methods of persuasion and just tiptoed to wrap my arms around him, responding to his kiss enthusiastically.

I'm not sure how long we kissed, but when we pulled apart, I was well aware that everyone in the parking lot was staring at us, and I blushed, feeling ridiculously self-conscious.

Jake grinned down at me and rubbed his thumb over my flushed cheek before leaning down to press a chaste kiss to my lips. "I'll be back at four to pick you up, beautiful," he said quietly, "your dad said we're having dinner at your place tonight."

I rolled my eyes and smirked. "Of course we are. Are they cooking or am I?"

Jake bit his lip coyly and blinked innocently. "I have nothing to do with this," he exclaimed, taking a step back as I glared at him.

"Go, you _pig_," I slapped his arm playfully, before dragging him in for one more kiss—just one, because his kisses were _so_ good and addictive and I could never get enough (and maybe I was postponing walking into that damn high school just a little bit).

"I'll see you at four," he grinned, climbing back onto his bike and tugging on his helmet, waving playfully before driving off towards the reservation, where he attended school.

"Okay," I grumbled to myself, turning towards the front steps of the school. I knew I chose to come back to Forks and to this high school, but God, I was not looking forward to small town gossip—and I knew there would be a lot of it.

I was the new meat in town, I was Chief Swan's daughter and I was dating a boy from the reservation.

"Hey, Isabella Swan, right?"

I jumped when a tall boy with slick black hair and a sweet smile suddenly appeared in front of me. "Yeah, I am," I answered slowly, "But just Bella will work."

He offered me his hand and grinned. "Eric. I'm your welcoming committee. I checked your schedule, and we have English and Spanish together, so I can show you to those classes, and we'll be passing science class, so I can point that out too. And if you want, you can sit with me and my friends at lunch."

I felt a little overwhelmed, but nodded regardless, trying not to feel weirded out that this guy knew my schedule and I didn't. "Yeah, uh… Sounds good." I felt a little better when he handed me a folder which included my schedule and some of the forms I had to fill out and turn in by the end of the day, as Eric informed me.

I followed him to class and graciously accepted his offer to sit next to him, though I tried to keep quiet for most of it, preferring to actually enjoy the beauty of Emily Brönte's words as the teacher recited them to us.

I doodled on the bottom half of my paper during Spanish and daydreamed about the day Jake and I had spent down at the beach a couple of days ago—it had been the first time since I arrived that we had actually been alone, and we had planned on making full use of that time, but…

We hadn't.

I actually wanted to do this—Jake and me—right.

We'd been friends for years, and there wasn't a lot we didn't know about each other, but I still wanted to actually _date_ before we ended up in bed together again. I knew Jake as the sweet boy from the reservation, and as my best friend—but getting to know him in the boyfriend role was a whole different kind of experience.

I was broken from my thoughts when Eric told me it was time for lunch, and asked once again if I wanted to sit with him and his friends.

I debated just sitting alone and texting Jake for a moment before I shook my head at myself and told Eric I'd love to sit with them—I wanted to make some new friends; the only people I really knew were my dad, Billy, Jake and Jake's two friends, Quill and Embry.

And Eric seemed nice enough—I was sure his friends would be nice too.

He chattered on about this girl he liked, I think her name was Angela, as we walked to the cafeteria, and I couldn't help but grin. It was obvious he had a huge crush on this girl, and he actually was really nice to talk to.

He led me to a table that already seated four others—one boy and three girls. The boy was tall, blonde and a bit good-looking—he had nothing on _my_ Jacob, of course—and had a nice smile. One of the girls had dark hair with chocolate brown hair and a really kind smile—I had a feeling I would like her a lot—but I couldn't say the same about the other two.

They both had light colored hair, one of them was—definitely not a natural—blonde, while the other had darker, almost light brown hair. Both of them were pretty, and it was obvious in their every move that they were both well aware of their looks—Blondie looked downright bitchy.

"Guys," Eric smiled at the group, "this is Bella Swan, our new student. Bella, this is Angela, Jessica, Lauren and Mike."

I waved shyly and took the seat next to the dark-haired one—Angela—, unpacking the small lunch I'd made this morning. The entire table was silent for a long, awkward moment as everyone stared at me—I was pretty sure they were all remember seeing Jacob drop me off this morning—before they went back to their conversation.

"So Bella," Mike drawled, eyeing me in a way that made me wish Jake was here to slap him, "You're from Arizona, right? How come you're not more tanned?"

I stared at him, unsure where the hell that came from, before just shaking my head and turning towards Angela instead—I was not up for clumsy teenage boy flirting (unless it was Jake flirting with me; then I didn't mind so much). "So, anything interesting happening at this school?" She gave me a somewhat bemused smile and I realized—belatedly—that me moving back into Forks was probably the most interesting thing that had happened here in a while.

"Right," I coughed awkwardly, running my fingers through my long hair, "Well, any good gossip that doesn't involve me?"

Angela laughed and shrugged, "Well, there's always the Cullens."

That seemed to draw the attention of the others on the table, especially Lauren and Jessica, who turned their entire bodies around to face us. "Yeah," Lauren drawled, "Let's tell the new girl about the hottest family in town… _if_ you tell us how you snagged the La Push hottie that dropped you off at school."

I raised an eyebrow at her and purposely set down my sandwich and took a sip of my drink before I answered as calmly as I could—I wasn't an angry person by any means, but something about Lauren just really rubbed me the wrong way. "Well, first, his name is Jacob, not La Push hottie. Two, he's been my best friend for years and three, it's really none of your business. We are not friends, so I don't see why I should share _anything_ about my relationship with Jake with you."

Everyone seemed to gasp a little and their eyes moved to Lauren, whose eyes were nearly bugging out of her head—I guessed not a lot of people had the guts to tell her to mind her own business. Unfortunately for her, I had no such qualms, and I didn't mind telling her to stick her nose in someone else's business—as long as it wasn't mine.

The tension was broken by a snort of laughter coming from a different boy, who'd just approached their table. "Well, she told you, Lauren," he grins, knocking his shoulder into hers as he sits down in the chair next to her. "Hi," he smiled at me, offering me his hand over the table, "I'm Tyler. You're the new girl, right? Jacob Black's girlfriend?"

I stared at him for a moment before I nodded slowly and shook his hand. "Bella Swan. You know Jake?"

He nodded and stole a French fry off of Mike's plate. "Yeah. He fixed my dad's car for him a couple of months ago. He kept talking about this girl he was in love with—she was going to move back here, and he couldn't wait. It made sense to assume he was talking about you."

I blushed and bit my lip to hide my pleased smile—I knew Jake loved me, but it was nice to hear he was thinking about me as much as I was thinking about him before I moved back here.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Tyler raised an eyebrow at the others while I dug my phone from my pocket to send Jake a quick text.

"The Cullens," Mike snorted at him before turning back to his fries, "like usual."

I watched, slightly confused, as a discussion broke out between Lauren, Jessica and the two boys about these mysterious "Cullens" they kept mentioning, while Angela just shook her head and continued eating, like it was a daily occurrence.

I rolled her eyes at myself—for all I knew, it was a daily occurrence.

"So who are these Cullens?" I turned back to Angela, munching on one of my carrot sticks.

Angela smiled and shrugged. "They're new too—they moved here last year. They're… _different_." By now, the others had ceased their discussion and inserted themselves into our conversation.

"That's an understatement," Lauren grinned, "They're _hot_. Like _all_ of them. It's ridiculous—they're all adopted, but somehow they still look alike and still look like models too." Jessica nodded furiously and opened her mouth to contribute something completely useless, undoubtedly, when the doors to the cafeteria opened again, and the entire student body seemingly fell silent.

And even though I was really, _really_ in love with Jacob, even I couldn't keep my eyes off of them as they came inside.

They were just _so beautiful. _

They didn't look anything alike.

They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big - muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy hair the color of a shiny new penny. He looked younger than the others, somehow, even though they really couldn't be that far apart in age.

The girls, however, looked like polar opposites.

One was tall and statuesque, with a figure that would make a supermodel weep in jealousy and beautiful golden hair that streamed down to the middle of her back. The other was almost pixie-like—thin and pretty with small, perfect features. Her black hair was cropped short and messily pointing in every direction.

And yet, there was something about them too—something that made them eerily alike. They were all _really_ pale—paler than I was, and I was really pale. Their eyes were all really dark too—almost black, and it bothered me a little that they all had the same eye color and weren't related at all.

They were honestly drool-worthy—in an ethereal, almost inhuman way.

Not like Jacob, who was handsome in a rougher, less defined way—I was pretty sure I preferred Jake's looks to the looks of these guys though.

There was just something _wrong_ about their beauty.

"Well," Jessica said breathily, staring at the Cullens with a dreamy smile on her face, "That's them. No further explanation needed."

I frowned at the table over my shoulder, unsure where the sudden uneasy feeling in my stomach came from, gasping in surprise when the copper-haired one suddenly looked _right at _me with his dark, deep eyes—_angry _eyes.

Suddenly, the entire table turned to look at me, and I quickly looked away, biting my lip nervously.

What the hell did I ever do to him for him to look at me like I kicked his puppy?

"So… They're not related?" I asked curiously, rubbing my palm over my chest absentmindedly, "They look so…"

"I know," Lauren smirked, winking at me, "Doctor and Mrs. Cullen adopted them all—I think Mrs. Cullen can't have kids or something; they're both really young too. There Jasper and Rosalie Hale—the blondes—, and then there's Emmet, Alice and Edward Cullen. Emmet's the dark-haired one, Alice is the dark-haired girl and Edward's the redhead."

Such old-fashioned names, I mused, chewing on my lower lip thoughtfully.

"They're all together too," Jessica grumbled, "I wouldn't mind getting adopted into that family if it means I get to date the only single Cullen. Edward's so _dreamy_."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Yeah, you have fun with that."

The rest of lunch went off without much of a fuss, and I spent most of the time ignoring Jessica and Lauren, who seemingly had nothing else to talk about than how hot Edward Cullen was—not that I didn't agree, he really was absolutely gorgeous—, and texting Jacob.

Now the only class I had left before being able to go home with Jake was Biology II, which I shared with Angela—thank goodness. I hoped I could sit with her during my class, though I mentally prepared myself for the possibility that I might have to sit with someone else, who was _not_ good at Biology.

When we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a black-topped lab table exactly like the ones I was used to. She already had a neighbor. In fact, all the tables were filled but one. Next to the center aisle, I recognized Edward Cullen by his unusual hair, sitting next to that single open seat.

Great.

I hurried down the aisle to introduce myself to the teacher, surreptitiously asking him about the course load and if there was a possibility if I could get an adapted curriculum, because I'd already studied most of the things standard Biology classes covered. He promised he'd look into it, signed my slip and then sent me to my seat—of course he had no choice but to send me to the seat next to Edward Cullen, who was glaring at me.

The look he was giving me was downright hostile—furious.

I bit my lip and looked down, cursing the heated blush that rushed to my cheeks.

I kept my eyes down, confused by his reaction to me and my own reaction to his obvious hatred of me—he moved when I sat down, and I frowned. He was leaning away from me, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair and averting his face like he smelled something bad.

I let my hair fall over my right shoulder, making a dark curtain between us, and tried to pay attention to the teacher.

Unfortunately, the lesson was on something I'd already studied, so my attention drifted all too quickly. I tried to take notes diligently, but my thoughts quickly wandered back to Jacob and our plans for the weekend—dad and Billy were going fishing the entire weekend, and Jake had asked me to spend the entire weekend at his place, and the mere thought of getting to sleep next to him again made my heart pound in my chest—, and I caught myself doodling little hearts in the corner of my paper.

My thoughts were drawn back to class—and my apparently very upset neighbour—when he shifted suddenly, his chair scraping against the floor loudly as he shifted even further away from me. He never relaxed his stiff posture, his hand on his left leg clenched into a fist, tendons standing out under his pale skin.

I wondered what was wrong with him, frowning a little when I caught him glaring at me once again, his black eyes filled with a kind of revulsion that really didn't make any sense to me at all.

I had no idea what I'd done to deserve that kind of look from him.

It was just downright mean.

The very second the bell rang, Edward was out of his seat and across the room, leaving the classroom before anyone else had even registered that the bell had even rung at all.

I sat frozen in my seat, staring blankly after him for a long moment before collecting myself.

I was being ridiculous—whatever I did to offend Edward Cullen was his problem, not mine—and my boyfriend was waiting for me and I still had to turn in my slip at the administration's office. I texted Jake that my class was done and that I would be done after I turned in the slip at the office.

I sighed and collected my things, heaving my backpack over my shoulder and headed towards the small office, hoping I would be out soon, so I could talk to Jacob about everything and nothing—maybe he could make sense of why Edward Cullen seemed to have decided to hate me on first sight.

When I walked into the warm office, I almost turned around and walked back out. Edward Cullen stood at the desk in front of me. He didn't appear to notice the sound of my entrance. I stood pressed against the back wall, waiting for the receptionist to be free. He was arguing with her in a low, attractive voice. I quickly picked up the gist of the argument.

He was trying to trade from sixth-hour Biology to another time—any other time.

Jesus—what the hell had I done that was _so_ bad he had to change classes to avoid sitting next to me?

It just seemed too absurd—I couldn't believe that this was about me; it had to be something else—_anything_ else.

He didn't even know me.

And then suddenly, his back stiffened, and turned—ridiculously slowly, like in the movies—to glare at me with dark, loathing eyes. Something about him terrified me, and I swallowed thickly as the hairs on my arms raised.

He turned back to the receptionist and it was like all the air left my lungs all at once when his eyes left mine—Jesus, what the hell was this guy's problem? "Never mind, then," he said hastily in a voice like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turned on his heel without another look at me, and disappeared out the door.

I went meekly to the desk, my face white for once instead of red, and handed her the signed slip.  
"How did your first day go, dear?" the receptionist asked maternally.

"Fine," I lied, my voice weak. She didn't look convinced, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

I wanted to know why Edward Cullen scared me so much—why he seemed so _mad_.

I left the office quickly, my heart lifting when I caught sight of Jacob leaning against his bike, a small smile on his lips when he spotted me.

"Hey," I nearly ran into his arms, "God, I missed not having you around all day."

I felt his chest vibrate with a soft chuckle as he wrapped his arms around me—I was a little startled by how warm his embrace felt. I frowned a little and leaned back a little to look up at him. "Are you okay, Jake? You feel a little warm."

He just smiled my favorite sunny smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just missed you too, baby. How was your first day?"

I groaned, letting him draw my back into his embrace, resting my head against his chest. "I don't know. Weird. I'm the new kid—oh, and apparently Edward Cullen hates me already. I have no idea what I did, but he…" I sighed and pulled away from him a little, frowning at him. "He scares me. I don't know what it is."

Jacob looked at me, his eyebrows drawn and his lips tight. "Edward Cullen… As in Doctor Cullen? The family that moved here last year?"

"Yeah," I sighed, "he looked at me like I killed his puppy."

Jake snorted, and I couldn't suppress the chuckle that fell from my lips. I knew how ridiculous it sounded, but it was the only way I could describe his expression. "Please, Bells," Jake stroked my cheek gently, "I'm sure it's okay. I won't deny that the Cullens freak me out too sometimes, but I don't think he hates you—I don't think anyone can hate you."

I nearly melted into a puddle of goo—God, I was such a mess when it came to him—and tiptoed so I could kiss him, feeling infinitely happier once his lips touched mine. We kissed for a long, uninterrupted moment before he broke the kiss, grinning down at me. "Come on," he said softly, "our dads are waiting for us."

"Yeah," I breathed, "I know."

And I knew Jake was right—no one would hate me at first sight; they had no reason to.

But for the rest of the night, I couldn't get the image of Edward Cullen's black, hateful eyes glaring at me out of my head.

.

.

.

**JPOV  
PRESENT TIME (THE NEXT DAY)—BLACK RESIDENCE**

I felt antsy and angry and confused, and I could not figure out where it was coming from.

I felt like I was going to burst out of my skin any moment now, and the way my dad kept looking at me since last night's dinner at Bella's place didn't help at all—like he was _waiting_ for me to explode, and that just didn't make _any_ sense, because why would I explode at all?

I wasn't an angry person.

Not usually anyway—but ever since Bella had confided me about how uncomfortable Edward Cullen had made her feel, it felt like there was an undercurrent of electricity running beneath my skin, waiting to burst forth, and it just didn't make any sense.

I sighed and leaned my head against the top of the Rabbit, curling my fingers around the edge of the roof to still the shaking—I needed to calm the fuck down.

I focused on Bella, and on how she agreed to spend the weekend with me—we hadn't spent the night together since she came back, and we hadn't… We hadn't had sex either. I didn't mind so much, because I knew Bella wanted to take it slower this time, and I couldn't say I didn't agree.

We were both just kids, really, and sometimes I felt like the way I loved Bella and she loved me was way too serious for our age—I was sixteen, for goodness' sake, Bells was seventeen—but it was _so_ real. I'd been in love with Bella for as long as I could remember, and I thought it was useless to pretend that I didn't until we were older just so it would seem more socially acceptable for us to be in a serious relationship.

As I calmed myself, the shaking ceased, and I swore a could hear howls in the forest.

I frowned and looked up, but as soon as I did, the howls died away, and everything was quiet once again.

I shook my head.

I was being ridiculous—there weren't any wolves here in La Push.


End file.
